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Major Chinese Business Summit Opens in Croatia

More than 50 companies from the Chinese region of Zhejiang are to meet with around 60 Croatian companies in Zagreb to 'explore new business activities'.

The largest ever Chinese delegation to Croatia arrives in Zagreb on Monday for a China–Croatian business summit aimed at boosting economic relations between two countries.

Representatives from over 50 companies, around 100 people in total, are coming to Zagreb from the Chinese eastern coastal region of Zhejiang.

With over 54 million inhabitants, Zhejiang, although known as the “Land of Fish and Rice”, has introduced the so-called "Zhejiang model", which combines favouring entrepreneurship and small business while undertaking large public investments in infrastructure.

Companies from the region in the past cooperated with Croatian firms in the fields of shipbuilding, harbour construction, cultural education and tourism development.

The aim of the summit is to “create a high-level platform for bilateral enterprises to increase mutual understanding, explore new business opportunities, strengthen industrial matchmaking and expand cooperation”.

Zhejiang companies coming to Zagreb for investment and trade cover a spectrum of industries, including construction, communications, chemicals, energy, car-making, electronics and the food industry.

Over 50 Croatian companies will attend the summit as well, to arrange meetings with their Chinese counterparts.

The summit is organized by the Chinese Embassy in Zagreb, Croatia's Chamber of Economy, HGK, and China's Council for the Promotion of International Trade, CCPIT.

Besides Chinese ambassador Deng Ying, the president of the HGK, Luka Burilovic, and the vice-president of CCPIT, Wang Jinzhen, one of Croatia's deputy economy ministers will also be present.

Croatia and China had a total volume of trade in 2014 worth 585 million euros, with Croatia importing eight times more goods from China than exporting to it.

Chinese companies have previously showed interest in investing in the ports of Rijeka in the north and in Ploce in the south, for unloading containers with Chinese goods for Europe.

For the transport of goods further afield, Chinese investors previously expressed interest in plans to build a railway line from Rijeka via Zagreb to Budapest, a project backed by the new Croatian government.